Black Birds and Wistful Words
by Pensive Crow
Summary: Wren is a young girl when she first meets Itachi, a brave Anbu shinobi. Interesting things are in store for the two of them, indeed. Romance at some point in the story, but other than that, I'm going to surprise you..   Hiatus - sorry, guys.
1. Chapter 1

_[Sielu, please tell me that's the last time you'll eat a cockroach in front of me.]_

_[I'm sorry, I can't help that I'm hungry. Besides, it was going to eat you, so I had to stop it somehow.]_

I laughed and playfully swatted at Sielu, the Raven perched on my left shoulder, and he darted away only to circle around and land on my head. The flicker of his thoughts touched my mind, and I could feel his amusement through our mental link. He bent over my forehead so our eyes, our matching, bright gold eyes, were an inch apart so I could see him wink. As I felt him move back onto my shoulder, his usual spot, I began to grow worried.

_[Sielu?]_

_[Yes, Wren?]_ He turned to peer at me.

_[That cockroach didn't really want to eat me, did it?]_

Sielu's feather's ruffled as he cawed out a laugh.

_[Of course not, you silly girl. I was teasing.]_ He thought to me, his eyes sparkling with humor.

_[Oh, ok. Good.]_ I thought to him, relieved. Thats just what I needed. Killer cockroaches.

_[My goodness, It's amazing what ten year-olds will believe.]_ He thought, still amused.

I smiled sheepishly at his comment, feeling foolish. He brushed his feather-soft head against my cheek, letting me feel the warmness of his love for me rebound through our link, making me feel better.

I looked at my wristwatch and noticed the time. _[I'd better start heading over to the Hospital, Sielu. It's almost 6:30 am. Class starts at 7!]_

As I walked through the large glass doors of the hospital, My faithful Sielu perched on my shoulder as always, more than a few people waved at me and said good morning. I'm most definitely a regular here even though I'm only twelve, and not for the usual reason people come to hospitals. My Mother and Father work here as Medical shinobi and I loved to volunteer to visit the intensive care patients and children who've come out of surgery or that are, sadly, terminal. Sielu and I visited them to try to make a smile grace their forlorn faces at least once in a while.

I walked up to the front desk to see the secretary, Satsu-san.

"Ohaio, Satsu-san!"

"Ohaio,Wren-chan! Ah, and your bird, too! Hi birdiebirdiebirdie!" She squealed in an annoying baby voice. I felt the faint flare of annoyance echo through my mind as Sielu shuffled his feathers and haughtily looked away. I cleared my throat a little.

"Um, his name is Sielu, Satsu-san...um..do you know where okaasan and otousan are?"

She stopped making baby faces at Sielu for a moment.

"They're up on the fifth floor today, hon!"

"Okay, arigatou!"

I quickly walked away before she could annoy Sielu anymore.

_[What a beastly woman.]_

I laughed out loud at his disgusted tone.

When I got to the fifth floor, the Intesive Care Wing, I immediately saw my mommy and walked quickly to her. She saw me before I reached her and motioned me to be quiet. I nodded and stood a few feet away from her and the sleeping child she was tending. He looked to be about my age, ten. My mother was bent over his frail form, her soft hands upon his chest, a green glowing chakra gently glowing from her palms. I recognized the jutsu. She was healing his heart. He must've had a transplant recently. For a child, I know alot about medical jutsu. I should. I mean, both of my parents are med nins and I spend 50% of my time in the hospital with them.

She finally lifted her hands gently off his chest and covered him up. She looked up at me and smiled as she walked around his bed and closed the privacy curtain.

"Ohaio, kaasan." I murmured quietly, so as not to disturb anyone.

"Ohaio, Wren-chan. You too, Sielu." She said in equally quiet tones, giving Sielu a soft stroke on his chest with the back of her forefinger.

"Shouldn't you be on your way to the Academy? It's almost seven." She asked, glancing at her watch.

I breifly noticed how beautiful my mother was as she glanced down. Her soft auburn hair up in the bun she wore at work and her gentle green eyes that seemed to smile even when she wasn't.

"Hai, I just wanted to see you before I went. I couldn't remember if I had told you that our classes are going on a little longer today because we're getting a special project."

"Yes, love, you did tell me." She said, a smile curving her lips. I felt foolish again.

"Oh..well...ah...Okay." I said sheepishly, smiling.

"Go on and get to class!, You'll be late! I'll see you when I get home!" She said giving me a playful spank on the butt.

"Owie! oww...okayyy!" I said, trying to keep my voice low. I half ran out of the wing, waving, trying to get to class on time.

"Wren-chan?"

"Yeah, Hinata?"

"What do you think the assignment is going to be?"

"Hmm...They'll probably make us kill someone, ya know, to toughen us up!"

"Kiba! Shut up! You'll make her cry again!"

"Ouch! Hey! Don't hit me!"

"Wren! Kiba! Be quiet!"

My head shot forward toward the teacher to give him my most innocent look.

"Hai, sensei. Sumimasen."

Kiba through me an exasperated look from my right, rubbing his head where I had hit him. I stuck my tounge out at him and Hinata laughed quietly at my left. I sighed, moved my long, dark hair out of my face and put my head down on my folder. We had already put up our classwork and had been sitting here for ten minutes while sensei had gathered God knows how many papers, dropped them, and was just now getting them back in order. I wish he would just hurry up and read the stupid assignment.

I looked out the window closest to me and saw Sielu watching me from a nearby tree. I sent out a tendril of thought, searching, and was answered by a flicker of his own. It was simply a comforting habit to reach out with my thoughts until I connected with his. Being connected like we were was as natrual to me as breathing. It was also incredibly comforting to have someone to have absolutely no secrets with. Sielu and I have been together ever since I can remember. One day out of the blue he came up to me and it was like our minds connected. He is a very rare being. He is just as intelligent as any human and just as long lived, if not longer. I've always wondered about why my eyes are the exact same as his. Some people think it's creepy. Like Kiba.

"Okay, class! Listen up! I am going to explain your project."

Everyone perked up and started listening. I wearily lifted my head and rested my chin on my folded arms. Next to me, Hinata played with a lock of her dark hair nervously. She hated projects because she never knew if she would have to present it. I hated it too, but I didn't let it bother me until the day of.

"Your project will be Shadowing. Shadowing is when you follow someone throughout their work day and you get to see what it's like on the job. You will be shadowing various Shinobi of the village."

Oooh. That sounds like fun.

"I will assign each of you a different Shinobi to shadow. They will be all different types from ANBU to Genin. You will shadow the Shinobi I assign to you for 30 days and keep a journal of what happens each day along with your reactions. At the end of the 30 day period, you will turn in the journal to me. I'm going to pass them around now." He started to hand journals to each row.

Hinata looked a bit more comfortable now that she knew she wouldnt have to do any public speaking. Heh, me too.

_This shadowing thing sounds like fun. I wonder who I'll get. I hope it's not a Genin. I want someone experienced so I can learn more._

Hinata handed me some journals that were being passed down. I took one and passed the rest to Kiba. I wrote my name on the front and flickered my thoughts to Sielu to let him know what was going on. Things like that only took a second. It was like he could relive what just happened in the split second I thought. It worked the other way around, too. It was only if we were conversing that it took time.

"Okay, now that you have your journals, you can go. I will give you your assigned Shinobi next class.

There was a collective 'Awww..' at the end of that sentence.

Poo...I wanted to know too...oh well.

I walked out of the classroom with Hinata and put my things in my locker.

"Hey, Hinata-chan, who do you think you'll get?" I asked her curiously.

"Hmmm..I don't know. I hope no one too scary." She shuddered and I laughed. We started walking outside.

"I hope I get someone really strong and smart, so I can learn a thing or two from her...or him." I added as an afterthought. I kind of wanted a girl because guys are always intimidating and condescending. Especially to a little girl like me. Once we got outside Sielu flew from the branch he was perched on to land gracefully on my shoulder, scaring Hinata with his sudden appearance.

"Oh!..Oh...Hello, Sielu.." She said to him, smiling.

_[Tell her I said hello...and sorry for scaring her.]_

I smiled at him, then looked to Hinata, relaying his message.

"Oh, you just startled me, that's all."

I looked at my watch, and noticed that it was time for me to meet Ino near the Konoha Gates. She had mentioned that she wanted to show me something cool.

"Hinata, I'll catch up with you later, I gotta go meet someone, kay?"

"Okay, Wren-chan!"

I wove through a small crowd of people near a store, and walked past some couples sitting on the benches near the trees at the gate, looking for Ino. I even passed a small ANBU squad walking in the opposite direction.

_[Do you see her, Sielu?]_

_[I will look.]_

He flitted off of my shoulder and began to circle about 30 feet above me.

_[I believe that's her standing by the village walls. Watch the birdie, Wren!]_ He teased as he flew toward where he said Ino was. I followed and found Ino standing by the walls, just like he said. He was perched on a low hanging branch a few feet away. He flew back to my shoulder as I walked up to her.

"Hey, Wren-chan! Are you ready to see something sweet?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"You have to follow me, first." She said, batting her blue eyes and tossing her long blonde hair as she turned away and started walking up a set of stairs leading to the top of the wall where guards would keep a lookout. No civilians were supposed to go up there. I balked.

"Wait, Ino! We can't go up there! We'll get in trouble!" I looked around, afraid I'd see someone storming over to us already..

"Oh, don't be such a baby!, Come on! No one will catch us." She started walking up the stairs again.

I looked around again, unsure. But I didn't want to seem like a baby. So I started after her.

_[This doesn't seem like a good idea.]_ Sielu observed dryly.

_[You're probably right. But what's the worst that could happen? They tell us to go back down?]_

He didn't reply, but seemed worried, so I stroked his chest with the back of my forefinger reassuringly.

I followed her to the top of the wall, feeling uneasy. I noticed when I got there that there was a small guard house to our right and no railing on the city side of the wall. I felt my stomach do little flips at the thought of how far it was to fall from here. I looked around to see if anyone had spotted us. Hmm, nope. Alone. Growing a little more confident, I walked up to Ino, who was leaning up against the railing, her back to the forest.

"You ready to see it?" She asked me, excitement shining in her eyes.

"Yeah! What is it? Oh hurry and show meee!"

I was eager to see what she was so excited about and could hardly keep from bouncing up and down like a toddler.

"Okay, okay!"

She walked over to the little guard house and walked over to one of the windows. She pointed to a small bird nest nestled up in the corner of the window. There was a tiny blue and white speckled egg sitting in the middle of the nest, covered with it's mother's down feathers and some bits of leaves. The mother was nowhere in sight.

"Isnt it cute?" Asked Ino, her voice going up an octave.

"Yeah.." I said, smiling.

_[It's a finch egg. Cute little birds.]_ Sielu commented, looking at the small nest.

Ino was silent for a moment, looking at the egg.

"...I'm going to take it."

My head shot around to look at her incredulously. Didn't she know anything about birds?

"B-but Ino! You can't do that!"

"And why not? I can do what I want, and what I want is to have a bird just like you do!" She said defiantly.

She didn't understand.

"Ino, only the mother of that little egg can keep it properly incubated, and if you touch it, the mother won't come near it because it won't smell like her egg anymore!"

"I can incubate it myself" She huffed and reached for the egg. I grabbed her wrist.

"Don't, Ino." I said lowly, my eyebrows knitting together. I was worried for the baby bird inside that egg.

Sielu cawed out a warning to Ino. She yanked her arm out of my grip and I stumbled back, closer to the edge. Sielu opened his wings to regain his balance on my shoulder from my misstep.

_[Careful, Wren!]_

Ino looked at me defiantly.

"If I want that egg, I'll take it! I knew it was stupid to let you come with me. I thought you would help me raise it!

"Ino, it won't hatch without it's mother!" I yelled, frustrated with her stubbornness.

She spun away from me and reached for the egg again. I rushed forward and pushed her away.

"Hey! You little brat!" She yelled, and then pushed me, hard.

I stumbled back a few feet and suddenly everything went in slow motion. I saw many things at once. I saw Ino's shocked expression as I felt my feet leave the wall and my body tilt backwards, my balance lost. I saw Sielu flare his black, inky wings as if trying to catch the both of us and land us safely on the ground.. and I saw a streak of dark hair and tanned skin flitting toward me, almost faster than the eye could see.


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't know how long it was that I fell for.. adrenaline spiked my veins, making everything seem slow and almost painfully clear. All I knew was that as my feet left the unguarded edge of the very top of the Konoha gates, perhaps some seventy to one hundred feet in the air, Ino's face was horrified, and Sielu's cry was both physical and mental, assaulting my mind with a terrified call, making me unsure whether or not it was his or my own. I could see him as a tiny black streak, trying to dart down to me, though we both knew it was pointless. It wasn't like a Raven could stop a girl from falling to her death, no matter how much we both wished it were so.

Strangely, it occurred to me during that fall that it would probably make Ino forget about the helpless Finch egg.

Well. At least some good will come out of this.

However, before my life had a chance to flash itself before my eyes, I miraculously felt a pair of strong, hard arms catch and wrap around my back and beneath my legs. Wild-eyed, I couldn't bring myself to look at my savior, but rather concentrated on the still rapidly approaching ground. For some reason, he (for the arms unmistakably belonged to a 'he'.) was able to land on the ground in such a way that he absorbed the impact into nothingness. It barely even gave me a jolt! It didn't even occur to me until about three seconds later that it must have been with the use of chakra manipulation.

My small body shaking, and my chest rapidly heaving up and down from the ebbing terror, I tried to make myself look at whoever could have saved me. It seemed impossible that anyone would have spotted me that quickly, and have caught me within the few scarce moments that I had between life, and being a big puddle of Wren on the street below. Swallowing convulsively and trying desperately not to get sick, I drew my astonished, frightened gaze from the blessed ground, and to the male Shinobi that held me, still crouched, on the ground.

I had to blink.

It was unmistakably a member of the Anbu Black Ops, for I could see the white mask pushed up over his head, and the armor was that of the specialized group, along with the tattoo that was inked on his left shoulder. But he was just so… young. Certainly not one experienced or vigilant enough to have seen and saved me that quickly. But he had. And he had barely even a hair out of place. He was even smiling gently down at me, the shadows beneath his eyes a prominent feature, as though he rarely slept. "I don't think the weather said anything about it raining little girls today, you know.." His voice was quiet and deep. It landed pleasantly on my ears, and made me feel a bit calmer, despite my still trembling body. He shifted me in his arms, straightening himself up to stand and look up toward where I fell. If I had been focusing on where his eyes were directed, instead of on his face, I might have seen Ino run frantically in the other direction. So, I didn't quite understand when his face darkened into a grim visage, and he asked for her name.

"Who?" My voice was shaken and quiet, barely able to be heard over the rustling of the trees. He glanced down at me again, his face softening slightly as he realized just how scared I still was. "The blonde girl up there that pushed you.. what was her name?" How he could have seen her push me, I wasn't sure. He was very perceptive, that was for sure. "Oh.. h-her name is Ino.. Yamanaka Ino." I watched him nod, a shadow crossing his face. I suddenly felt the need to defend Ino, despite how badly I wanted her to be punished. I knew that the charges for something like this could be very bad indeed, if they didn't realize it was an accident.. so I hurried to make my savior understand what'd happened.

"She did push me, but she didn't mean to push me off the ledge.. it was an accident. We got in a fight over an egg, and she wouldn't listen to me, so she ended up pushing me away.. but the ledge was closer than she thought, I think.." I trailed off slightly toward the end, caught off guard by the strange look he was giving me. I blinked my golden eyes, slightly confused. "..What?" He made a sound in his throat, something like a disbelieving laugh, and shook his head. "Nothing.. it's just not often that someone will try to defend the person who just pushed them nearly to their death." He gave me a crooked grin, though he still looked as though he were taking his time to re-evaluate his opinion of me. He still hadn't set me down on my feet.. probably because I was paler than a ghost.

Quite suddenly, Sielu made his entrance with wild caws and a great deal of ruffled feathers. He landed on my stomach and hopped up to my face, practically shouting in my mind, [I TOLD you that was a bad idea! You never listen to me, Wren! You could have been killed! I swear, if that beastly child comes anywhere near you again, I'll-] I blocked him out after a moment of his ranting, not wanting to be scolded just then, and also wishing to explain why there was a bird on my tummy. The dark haired Anbu Shinobi had raised a brow at the strange, black bird, but hadn't said anything. I gave him a sheepish smile, hoping he would let the irritating caws go.

"Sorry.. he's my, um.. Sielu." I finished lamely, my mind still too scrambled to focus too much on one subject. That particular one was tough to explain, so I didn't.

Just a few minutes had passed since he'd caught me, and there were a few other Anbu Shinobi making their way over toward us curiously. Suddenly, I remembered seeing a small group of the Black Ops before I had gone to the top of the gate.. that would explain his almost impossible appearance out of nowhere.

"What's your name?" I looked back up to my savior as he spoke, taking my eyes from the other approaching Shinobi. He continued after a moment, " You're an interesting little girl, that's for certain.. you defend your would-be murderer, and have a Raven as a familiar.." I couldn't help but laugh a little, though the sound was slightly strained and shaken. "Um.. my name is Wren. Mako Wren. " He nodded thoughtfully, crouching down slightly to help me settle on my feet. I wobbled once, but I was determined not to fall on my face in front of other Ninja of this level. He smiled a little, as if he knew the show that I was putting on. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Wren.. My name is Uchiha Itachi." I committed the name immediately to memory, taking note that he was a member of one of the most prominent clans in the village. I wanted to ask him a few questions, but his Black Ops comrades touched him on the shoulder, getting his attention. He nodded with a soft 'Aa.' of acknowledgement before looking back to me with that same thoughtful smile on his lips. "Well, unfortunately I can't stay.. will you be okay?" I nodded briskly, keeping up my tough front. He laughed a little and gave me a curt nod. "Then, I suppose I'll be seeing you around, Wren." With that, he turned to walk away, but with a jolt, I realized I'd forgotten to say something to him. "Wait, Itachi-san!" He paused and looked over his shoulder at me, one of his dark brows rising in question. I paused. "…Thank you for saving me."

He blinked once, but smiled softly and gave a gentle nod. Then, he was gone.

However, Sielu most certainly was not. He cawed indignantly at being ignored from my shoulder, and I opened my mind to him again, wanting to appease him.

[Come on, Sielu.. we should get home before I have another near death experience..]


End file.
